RNLA Vice President for Judicial Affairs Eric Lycan wrote today in The Daily Caller about how the American Bar Association (ABA) is showing bias in its evaluations of President Trump's judicial nominees:
[The ABA's] biased reviews of Trump’s judicial nominees are increasingly showing that the qualifications and accomplishments of Republicans, conservatives and libertarians do not outweigh political views which are distasteful to the ABA.
Mr. Lycan describes the signs of bias in the ABA's review of Steven Grasz, a well-respected nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit who has had a distinguished career. Just two examples of inappropriate questioning by reviewers who are supposed to be, and claim to be, neutral:
While ostensibly reviewing his professional qualifications as a lawyer, the ABA reviewers questioned why Grasz’s children attended a religious school. . . . [T]he reviewers began referring to Mr. Grasz as “You people.” When Grasz asked what they meant by “You people” — an ambiguous, exclusionary, and outright derogatory term — the reviewers said they were referring to conservatives and Republicans.
Mr. Lycan concludes by questioning whether the ABA's true goal is excluding conservatives, libertarians, and Republicans from the practice of law:
Any effective lawyer — not just judges — must separate personal opinions from what the law requires as a fundamental part of the practice of law. . . . Under the ABA’s standard, no conservative or libertarian would be able to serve as a judge, or maybe even practice law. The ABA thinks that a conservative’s or libertarian’s views take over a person’s thinking to such an extent that the person cannot think objectively about anything. And the person cannot even recognize his or her lack of objectivity.
This may show the ABA’s endgame: to eliminate conservatives and libertarians from the legal profession. There are other ways the ABA, in cooperation with state bar associations, is moving toward that goal, from suppressing speech by lawyers that the ABA disagrees with to different ethical standards being applied to conservative and liberal lawyers. As is starting to happen in other fields, Republican, conservative, and libertarian lawyers may soon need to fight for the right to engage in their chosen profession without abandoning their deeply held beliefs. And that is truly disturbing.
We are grateful to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley for not allowing the ABA's shameful rating of Mr. Grasz to prevent his consideration by the Senate. Chairman Grassley has scheduled a hearing for Mr. Grasz for next Wednesday, November 29. As Senators Ted Cruz and Ben Sasse pointed out last week, the ABA's actions demonstrate that it is a liberal advocacy group advancing a liberal agenda on judicial nominations, and the Senate leadership is wise not to allow the ABA to veto qualified nominees.
RNLA Vice President for Judicial Affairs Eric Lycan wrote in the Daily Caller today about how Senate Democrats are obstructing President Trump's excellent Executive Branch and judicial nominees:
How bad is the situation? Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell recently stated: “If this continues it will take us more than 11 years to confirm the remaining presidential appointment[s].“ Statistics back this up, with almost four times as many nominees confirmed during President Obama’s first six months as President Trump’s.
Sometimes this is just plain ridiculous. Democrat Michigan Senators Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow delayed returning their blue slips for highly qualified Michigan Supreme Court Justice Joan Larsen, nominated for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. While there are different definitions of blue slips, they are basically a vehicle to give home state Senators an opportunity to opine on a nominee. Larsen had just been reelected by over 57% of the people in Michigan. There is absolutely no reason for the delay as Judge Larsen is extremely well known and well respected and was even mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee by President Trump.
Of course, possible Presidential candidate and Democrat Senator from Minnesota Al Franken has arguably taken it one step further. Franken has still not returned his blue slip for Eighth Circuit nominee and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice David Stras. Stras was actually elected with a higher percentage of the vote in Minnesota than Franken in either of his Senate races. Yet Franken continues to sit on his blue slip for Stras. . . .
The problem of nomination obstruction is especially dire when compared with the rapidly growing number of judicial vacancies. Since President Trump was elected, the number of judicial vacancies has increased by 1/3. President Trump’s judicial choices need to be confirmed.
We are grateful for President Trump, White House Counsel Don McGahn, and the entire White House Counsel's office for their excellent nominee selections and to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley for their strong leadership and support of the nominees in the Senate. Now it is up to the Democrats to stop obstructing and needlessly delaying well-qualified and well-respected nominees in an attempt to appease their radically liberal base.
